Editor's Note: This is part one of a two part series on the Mexican Spotted Owl.

In the next two segments of Smokey’s Corner, we feature Mexican spotted owls and will explore the ecology of one of the most fascinating raptors in our forest. I learned about Mexican spotted owls from Wildlife Biologist Larry Cordova from the Smokey Bear District.

By visiting with Larry, I learned some basic facts about owls, the different sub-species of Mexican spotted owls, what they eat, and what eats them. The Mexican spotted owl is one of many birds of prey in New Mexico. This owl belongs to the order Strigiformes and the family Strigidae, the true owls. The Latin name of this fascinating owl is Strix occidentalis.

First, some facts about owls. Owls are mostly nocturnal, which means they are active from dusk to dawn. Being a specialized predator, owls are equipped with many sophisticated features for prey detection and capture. For example, the wing feathers have fine fringes and velvety pile over the surface of the feather to deaden noise as it beats the air resulting in the ability to fly silently and surprise prey. Owls also have broad wings that help them maneuver through the trees. Their acute hearing helps them locate small prey from great distances even in total darkness. An interesting fact about the spotted owl is that “the flattened facial disk of the spotted owl funnels sound to the bird's ears and magnifies it to help the owl hear sounds humans are unable to detect,” explains biologist Larry Cordova.

There are 12 different species of owls that inhabit the Lincoln National Forest, but only the Mexican spotted owl has the status of being a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The category threatened is defined as "any species which is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future.” Mexican spotted owls, who nest in forested areas, often having large diameter trees of mixed tree species, were listed under the ESA due to historical alteration of its habitat as a result of timber management. The primary threats to its population in the United States have transitioned from timber harvest to an increased risk of stand-replacing wildland fire. These owls are also affected by the noise and disturbance associated with some human activities.

There are three sub-species of spotted owls: The Northern spotted owls, found mainly in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Northern California; California spotted owls, located in Nevada, Central and Southern California: and the Mexican spotted owls native to Mexico, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and a small area of Texas. Mexican spotted owls are one of the reasons Wildlife Biologist Larry Cordova transferred to the Lincoln National Forest back in 1992.

Cordova began his career learning about Northern spotted owls on the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

“Spotted owls located in these different areas,” Cordova explained, “tend to have their plumage (feathers) coloration blend with the environment where they live.”

Mexican spotted owls, who live in drier habitats than the other spotted owls, have the lightest plumage of the three sub-species.

Owls prey on live (small) animals, in non-scientific terms, they might be described as cats with wings. Mexican spotted owls’ favorite meal consists of mice and, they tend to eat a lot of them. A single male owl must catch enough mice to feed himself, his female partner and several owlets in the nest. Although small mammals dominate the diet, the Mexican spotted owl is known to prey on squirrels, rabbits, birds, bats, and smaller owls. Once caught, the small prey is swallowed whole; larger prey must be torn into smaller pieces before swallowing. After consuming their meal, owls regurgitate castings, which are furry pellets of bones and other materials they’re unable to digest. These pellets are usually found on the ground below their nests and are a favorite scavenger hunt find with children.

Owls are not the only raptors in the forest vying for prey. Northern goshawks eat a wide range of prey including birds, mammals, squirrels, reptiles and owls.

“Northern goshawks will feed on owlets,” Cordova said.

One advantage of being nocturnal is that Mexican spotted owls can go undetected by goshawks and other diurnal, active during the day, birds of prey.

One early morning last week, I accompanied Cordova to the mouse shed, where live mice are kept on the Smoky Bear District compound. He grabbed several mice (domestic) and placed them into a mouse container to transport. We loaded up the truck, drove to the forest, and began our trek.

During my outing with Cordova, he explained, “Part of my job is to survey for this threatened species, to determine the location and distribution of owl pairs and nest sites, and to determine if they are successfully producing young.”

In this way, biologists determine population trends and help know if a species is recovered and can be removed from the Endangered Species list.

The survey process started by hiking into the forest to an area with a known pair activity center or PAC. As we approached an area where owls were known to nest, Cordova imitated different spotted owl sounds, which if present, will attract spotted owls in the area. Not everyone can do this, but Cordova has perfected his calls over his many years of surveying.

There was no response in that location, so we hiked to a different area of the forest and without even calling, spotted an adult male perched mid-height in a tree. Cordova carefully removed one of the mice from the container and placed it on a nearby branch. Watching, we saw that the owl was aroused, as his eyes opened wide and he positioned himself for flight.